FOUR
Western Themed Party Downloads
Western Theme Party Food Ideas
Planning the food menu for all those cowboys and cowgirls at your western theme party can be a pretty simple and easy affair – lots of BBQ and picnic style food. However, sometimes you’ll be looking for some of those extra creative ideas to really bring that Old West theme alive. Consider some of these ideas to ‘rile things up’…
If you know in advance that you’ll be baking a cake, consider designing a treasure map to a lost gold mine atop the cake. Frost a regular rectangular cake with a tannish colored frosting (whatever you can achieve by mixing some white frosting with brown. If you don’t have brown, remember that opposite colors on the color wheel make brown such as red/gree, blue/orange and purple/yellow.) Where the X is, hide treasure underneath (actually inside the cake – i.e. plastic toys, etc.) – for the guest of honor. If you want to really go for it, pick up some tan or gold colored sprinkles you’d find at your local cake decorating store and sprinkle it around the edges to ‘age’ the look of your map!
|
For some versatile decorating on cakes and other desserts, consider crushed up graham crackers – they do great for simulating dirt. Whole graham cracker pieces also look great for faux planks of wood to make Old West shanties and roadsigns (with words painted with black frosting.) As possibly a more daring idea for some, serve Buffalo burgers (can be purchased at large grocery store chains and online if not.) Sometimes you can even find rattlesnake meat. These are usually found in the frozen food section. It can add an exciting flair of adventure for your party guests – truly the WILD west! |
Instead of plates,
serve the food on pie tins. For an interesting and fun choice of napkins,
consider using one of those oh-so-handy 40% off Joann’s coupons to
purchase a couple yards of calico print (one that will even match the
colors of your party.) Wash the fabric at least once with a nice fabric
softener to soften the fabric a bit. Then, cut the fabric into napkin
sized squares. Now, you might be tempted to feel the need to sew the fringed
edges of the napkins…however, you’ll find that those frayed
edges will really provide a nice rustic look for your table settings!
Have fun with the drinks. Remember, the Old West was known for good old
fashioned moonshine! Order some bottled drinks (even if only enough for
each table setting to just one) and, using warm water, removed the paper
labels. Create your own labels in WORD to put on the bottles (the “XXX”
is the traditional sign for moonshine.) These look absolutely fantastic
on your table and will be fun to drink for your party guests.
Chili and cornbread is a great solution for those that are looking for something simple with minimal amount of work (unless, of course you’re making grandma’s recipe where it takes all to cook.) This menu option is also great to turn into a chili cook-off contest, allowing your guests to come with their own recipes for others to try. With the cornbread, consider offering a jalapeno option. The jalapeno pepper has such a great flavor, even for those that have a difficult time with the heat. Consider buying a small can of diced jalapeno peppers (Ortega has a brand in the markets). Puree the peppers as much as possible and incorporate a little bit of them into some of the cornbread batter. Clearly label these once cooked and those guests that like a little kick will scarf them down!
Don’t be afraid to break away from some of the traditional by serving some items that reflect a more ‘south of the border’ feel. Perhaps some chips and salsa or other Mexican flavors.
Other Western Theme Party Resource Articles
Western Theme Party Decorating Ideas
Western Theme Party Invitation Ideas
Western Theme Party Games and Activities
